Kansas City Side Events 2025

Inside North Cross United Methodist Church, the tables were arranged for a demanding day of twisting puzzles as competitors took their stations. A focused hum filled the hall as hands warmed up on plastic layers and timers were reset for round after round. The setting in Kansas City, Missouri, USA on May 3, 2025 provided the backdrop for a gathering where advancing to the next stage required steady execution. With 69 competitors battling across 13 rounds and seven events, the atmosphere in the hall stayed intense from the morning scrambles through the final solves of the afternoon.

Making the cut at Kansas City Side Events 2025 was a severe test across every bracket, especially in the premier 3x3x3 Cube. With 68 competitors entering the main Rubik's Cube contest, survival across three rounds demanded consistent pacing. Aaron Huynh claimed the top spot in the 3x3 results, posting a winning average of 7.30 and a best single solve of 6.71. Sanjay Adireddi took second place with an 8.19 average, while Marcus Zook secured third with an 8.75 average, capping a crowded field where small pauses meant missing the final.

The 2x2x2 Cube event presented another congested roster, drawing 61 competitors into its two rounds. Alexander Gager navigated the sprint format with poise, capturing the title with an average of 2.87 seconds and a fast single of 1.85 seconds. Marcus Zook stood on the second step with a 3.27 average, closely followed by Aaron Huynh at 3.39. Further down the standings, Drake I. Scott achieved personal milestones with a 1.90 single and a 3.02 average during the rounds.

Specialised disciplines brought heavy turnouts throughout the schedule at this cubing competition. The Pyraminx bracket featured 51 competitors across three rounds, where Cyrus Gearhart earned the victory with a 2.54 average and a 2.25 single, ahead of Josiah Bell at 3.32 and Aaron Huynh at 3.81. In Skewb, Joel V. Stratemeyer emerged on top of a 41-person field in a single direct round, putting up a 4.88 average to hold off Trenton Cuzick at 5.03 and Marcus Zook at 5.49.

Away from the top steps, the true character of the WCA competition showed in the breakthroughs across the scorecards. Kyle Kirk produced massive leaps, trimming 72 percent off a previous mark with a 2.49 2x2x2 Cube single and cutting 45.1 percent for a 17.78 3x3x3 Cube single, alongside a first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 9.48 seconds. Cameron Kaufmann improved substantially as well, logging a 4.55 in Pyraminx to go 57.8 percent faster than before, while adding an initial Skewb attempt of 8.10. Oscar Mercado notched a sixth-place finish in Clock and dropped 55.3 percent on Pyraminx with a 3.82 single, alongside a 26.9 percent gain on Square-1 at 37.40. Jaylon Anderson tackled five events, completing a first Square-1 solve in 1:27.85 and lowering a Pyraminx personal record by 51.7 percent to 10.93.

Fresh challenges also defined the weekend for several competitors trying events for the first time. Samuel Taylor entered five disciplines, recording a 2.81 on 2x2x2 Cube for a 37.8 percent improvement and logging debut attempts in Skewb at 7.57 and Megaminx at 3:59.84. Caleb Shonkwiler took on seven events at their first WCA competition, securing 12th place in Square-1 with an initial mark of 31.65, alongside first-time marks of 12.74 on 3x3x3 Cube and 5.96 on 2x2x2 Cube. Jack Benner also completed their first WCA competition across five events, finishing 17th in Skewb while registering a first Clock solve of 25.28 and a 7.98 on Pyraminx. Andrew Kirk registered first official attempts in Pyraminx at 16.30 and Skewb at 18.51.

The remaining events highlighted technical control under pressure. Zachary Shaw took the Clock title through two rounds of 34 competitors, averaging 3.20 seconds with a best single of 2.82, leaving Trenton Cuzick in second at 6.38 and Liam O'Leary in third at 9.62. In Megaminx, Alexander Gager earned a second victory of the day, averaging 39.78 seconds with a single of 36.18, leading Aaron Huynh at 58.20 and Josiah Bell at 59.22.

Square-1 wrapped up the single-round side events with 21 solvers on the roster. Marcus Zook took first place with a 13.90 average and the event single of 9.64 seconds, while Chris Van Der Brink finished second at 19.75 and Trenton Cuzick claimed third at 23.93. The broad engagement across every discipline demonstrated how speed cubing continues to flourish in the region, bringing dedicated puzzle enthusiasts together for high-calibre speedcubing.

When the final timers clicked off, Kansas City Side Events 2025 closed out a full program where every single second mattered. With United States competitors filling all 21 podium places across the seven events, the tournament rewarded precision across deep brackets. The high attendance and rigorous competition across the tables ensured that every advancing spot and personal milestone had to be earned solve by solve.